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Back Artist's impression of a supermassive black hole accreting matter

Artist's impression of a supermassive black hole accreting matter


Date: 27 May 2009
Satellite: XMM-Newton
Copyright: ESA

Energetic X-rays can penetrate the accretion disk surrounding a supermassive black hole at the centre of an Active Galactic Nucleus. Studying the signature of these X-rays can reveal much about the physics and geometry of the extreme conditions close to the centre of the galaxy.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
13-May-2026 22:55 UT

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